*Receiving our package of ornaments today–my mom sends them every year. Loving this doll’s four-strand pony tails, her felt pants, those killer wood shoes, and the name tatt on her face. And I love my mom. Very much.

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*Chocolate cake mid day. Enough said.

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*Nella’s suck-it-down straw face. And the “did-you-see-that?” smile that follows.

*Scoring this badass vintage blouse at Goodwill this week…and rediscovering my appreciation for the big GW, despite the fact it’s 98% ugly/2% fantastic finds. If that ratio were any better, the thrill of “the find” might not be so great.

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Friday Photo Dump:

Friday Phone Dump photos are taken on the Instagram iPhone app (free) and dropped into a 12×12 collage using a photo editing software (Photoshop Elements works). I am “etst” on Instagram if you want to follow the feed.

Kelle – I love the pictures. I love the painting class and the straw drinking. Alexander is eating like a CHAMP and we are loving it!!! We are going to start working on drinking after the new year Can’t wait to put our own straw photos up. My life is a little grey right now, so I’m loving your sunshine. Thanks. Kristen @ http://www.alittlesomethingforme.com

My Ellie went to the Nutcracker tonight with her Nana followed by a spend the night party with her. I was so jealous!! She called me to tell me she LOVED the Nutcracker, that is snowed on her at the end, that she got her own Nutcracker and that is was magical! I am sure your date will be magical too!

Love your card writing tradition, and Nella’s straw sucking face and smile, aww my heart! This weekend, is the 1st of a month long holiday for us, I can just feel myself release all the stress around getting all my work finished. We can take time to sit on the windowseat together, cook dinner, weed the lily bed. Apart from that, there’s the best craft market on in town, lovely local designers, I can’t wait, (we’ve already done day 1) lovely gifts, and new decorations for the tree, and sour cherry macarons! have a lovely weekend Kelle.

Just ordered my very own Elf that will reside here as a treat for any little that comes to visit. His name will be Connery & I can’t wait to meet him!Weekend plans include seeing a play on Saturday, spending Sunday with my nephews, enjoying the Christmas-y things at home like candlelight, hot chocolate & maybe a nap or two.P.S. Love, love, love the elf donuts!

Funny, I was just thinking to myself tonight ‘I wonder if Kelle has done her annual address the Christmas cards tradition’?, then I read this to see that you have! What lucky people are the ones who get that awesomely addressed card from your in their mailbox!

Have fun at the Nutcracker! I will be attending my girl’s dress rehearsal for their Nutcracker all day tomorrow. Opening night in 6 days! Love those gingerbread shoes…kid’s imaginations are amazing, huh? And what a find on that blouse! Yeah, you seriously have to do some “picking through” at the G-dub, but you’re proof you can find something great!

Family Stone is my absolute favorite Christmas movie of all times! The look on Nellas face is priceless. I too LOVE every detail about Christmas, and continue to enjoy every minute of each day in December!

What is The Family Stone? Never heard of that one. Enjoy the Nutcracker! Had one Christmas movie night tonight with girlfriends in jammies and a cookie exchange on sunday – so I’m baking this weekend. Getting ready for our trip home to NY for Christmas!!

Oh my…Nella’s ‘post straw drinking’ smile…SO PRECIOUS! Love her!And, our hot plans for the weekend? My girl has her 1st ever ballet concert coming up so this weekend is filled to the brim with rehearsals. I feel so full of joy to see my girl doing something she loves & something I’ve grown up doing too And to ice the weekend cake…we’re off to our community Christmas Carols Concert tomorrow night…yeeehaah!! Happy weekend Hamptons!x

I’m always à little bit happily surprised to see you acyually have the same moon, at the same time!Somehow I must think we’re worlds apart 😮 😉

It looks like great days for you. Your Christmas tree is amazing!!!! I love it. So american, so beautiful. Disney kind of wonderful

Yay: lots of hot plans like baking, cleaning, playing Bing Crosby and loving the really great time! But – best and hottest of all – getting in front of the (now get this, ‘cuz you know I’ve envied your fireplace) fireplace!!!! Brand new, bought it yesterday. A beautiful ethanol fireplace that is sooooooo North Pole….. 😀Can’t wait.

oh my goodness that after the straw smiile melted my heart! pure bliss;) love the moon pic…never can take one without a ring around it. hmmmm wonder how you do that?? great goodwill find. for some reason i’m never that lucky. gorg!

loved the post, as usual. my christmas card sessions this year involves my traditional peppermint mocha, me (supposed to be alone at the table… but…), and my sick (bronchitis) little almost 2 year old son in my lap. so although i looove the usual alone time that christmas cards give me, this year is so worth the snuggle time with the sick little guy. side note: we keep our sidewalk chalk in our red pail too. <3 Nella’s prune toes! Those are some of the best things in life. also <3 Lainey in your sunglasses in the photo dump. very stylish!

Pruned baby toes flashed me back to when my kids were little and my husband told them raisins are really baby toes. His proof was to show them their toes after a bath. No surprise, but my kids refused to eat raisins from then on!

I love your blog, and especially the wonderful pictures of your girls. I have also two daughter, and I made a blog for them. I thought maybe your girls will love to coloure too. They are so princessy as mines…

Makin’ a mid day chocolate (birthday) cake at this very moment….for my 8 year old!!! He requested a Tunnel O’ Fudge Cake from the 1950’s…..makes me happy

*You’re so fortunate with your P.T….I’m jeals.

*You could make the 98% ugly look 100% fabulous, I’m sure! I scored an ecru (or “old lady beige”) crocheted shawl at Goodwill the other day for a DOLLAR!

*I’ve given up trying to choose my fave from the Friday phone dump….I seriously love them ALL!

*Lainey surely has a modeling career in her future…..takes after Mama

*The Ballet. What a dream date. We just took the boys and Nora to Willy Wonka last weekend. It wasn’t the Nutcracker, but it was most certainly magical to watch all 3 of their sweet faces. Nora was a perfect angel…swaying and singing, “la la la la” every time the music started. We walked to the civic theater just 2 blocks from our front door….and it was lightly snowing. It will surely go down as one of our favorite holiday memories, for sure!

1. I saw those mini donuts on Pinterest and I love that you made them! I can only imagine Lainey’s reaction when they were eaten!

2. The Gingerbread Shoes — oh my cuteness! I love how she thought those were your “Christmas shoes” and she’s already loving Christmas as much as you are!

3. Every time I see pictures from Lainey’s imagination class, I wish my “Little C” had a similar class nearby. Even better — I wish there was a class for ME! Even as an adult, I want to jump in the fun through the screen!

4. You have one awesome Mom! She made that ornament for Lainey, didn’t she? It has cute written written all over it (Well, yes actually it has Lainey written all over it…but you know what I mean! Ha!)

Happy Holidays! I’m like a kid on Christmas morning with all your festive posts this month! And for that, I Thank You! xoxo

We had our yearly “Christmas Tree Hunt” today… It involves a freezing cold hay ride to a giant field of trees, selecting and cutting…Home to hot chocolate…good food and family time, cookies and egg nog. And decorated trees. Clumps of ornaments ala 2 and 3 year old (that we couldn’t bring ourselves to move to look “nice” – they were so proud!)

The Family Stone is one of my FAVORITE Christmas movies! I actually watch it throughout the year, I love it so! Check out The Holiday…another wonderful Christmas movie! :)My kids have been stuck on Home Alone this year. It is the first year they haven’t been afraid and instead laughed until their sides ached!

I’m clearly a bad Christian. I feel more in touch with Jesus when I read your blog than with most devotionals or worship songs. The simplicity & peace in your writing takes me back to…HELLO! Enjoying the small things, & that makes me feel some Jesus up in herrrr. You are totes awesome, girl.

Hi Kelle,I am always so inspired by your photography and zest for life, especially around Christmas time. I live in New Zealand and try to catch up with your blog each day . I wanted to share a couple of ideas/websites with you.Firstly a Christmas book advent which has a Christmas book and activity for each day of Advent – such a great idea – http://www.oopseydaisyblog.com/2011/11/christmas-book-advent.htmlAnd secondly a video message you can make from Santa – http://www.portablenorthpole.tv/homeHave a great dayNiki

I pinned the mini elf donuts on Pinterest too, but have yet to make them. Yours turned out wicked cute. Great photos as always. I’m a long time reader, but first time poster – have always enjoyed your blog and your gorgeous girls!

Love this! Love all your christmas love and your decorations! Reading your blog makes me love even more this time of the year.

I love how you keep it fun and involve the kids. Lately I’ve seen a lot of blogs where people just talk about how stressful this time of the year is or where they talk about elegant and sophisticated holiday decoration. What? What I love about Christmas is colors, glitter and fun, tradition and ugly old ornaments =)

I’m a college student but have been following your blog because I love your photographs. I also love photography, Christmas, traditions, you name it. Anyway, I thought I would give you the address to my blog that I have started while being abroad in Sweden. Seriously, if you love Christmas, snow, and more Christmas, SO much more Christmas. You have GOT to come to Sweden this time of year! (although, the snow is severely lacking this year, coming from Southern California, I thought my “white Christmas” dream would be far exceeded here, we’ve got nada so far) Plus, all the mammas push their babies in the cutest buggies, and they are all wrapped up in a buggy sleeping bag with a striped hat while the toddlers are dressed in their adorable one piece down suit, striped hat, and rain boots. You unzip the suit, and voila! The kid has their adorable normal clothes on underneath for inside. It’s amazing, really. Everything is cozy and lit up since the sun goes down at 2:45 and comes up at 8:40. Also, decorations are to die for, who doesn’t like little tomtar (something like a forest troll) and mushrooms, and hearts, and cross stitch patterns all in red and white? Anyway, it’s amazing. Here’s the URL:http://www.linneajean.blogspot.com/Enjoy! Hope you have a holly jolly, warm and cozy, candle lit, hot cocoa, jingle bell Christmas!

I think that’s great your considering homeschool, although I know nothing about homeschooling! I just know that I have a 3 year old and 8 month old, and there is so much pressure to send them to school earlier and earlier. VPK to prepare for kindergarten, PK3 to prepare for VPK, etc… We moms at home can teach them so much. Does Lainey go to any type of preschool? My 3 year old goes to a 2 morning a week thing at our church (but I am not a huge playdate mom so this is nice for him to make friends) but I do not like the idea of sending him EVERY SINGLE DAY next year for VPK which is what all our programs here do! I like to know that there are other mom’s out there who also feel like it’s ok to not fall into pressure to send our children earlier and earlier to school everyday while so young. Nice to hear support from other stay at home moms. I’d love to read a post from you about how you specifically prepare Lainey for things and teach things at home that preschool or VPK might teach. Share your ideas, so we who also want to keep them at home longer can all benefit from each other! Thanks! Oh and our elf’s name is Marshmallow.

And the “did-you-see-that?” smile that follows. Is by far, the best photo of Nella EVER! So stinking cute the personality in her eyes just shines! All the photos are wonderful, but this one reached off the computer screen and hugged my heart. Thanks for sharing. Do we see an actress in the making??

I’m a little behind on my google reader but the “Nella’s suck-it-down straw face. And the “did-you-see-that?” smile that follows” pictures are just about the cutest thing I’ve ever seen. Made me smile on an otherwise just so so day. Thank you!